This book presents the first broad look at the rapidly emerging field of dataintensive science,
with the goal of influencing the worldwide scientific and computing research communities and
inspiring the next generation of scientists.
Increasingly, scientific breakthroughs will be powered by advanced computing
capabilities that help researchers manipulate and explore massive datasets. The
speed at which any given scientific discipline advances will depend on how well
its researchers collaborate with one another, and with technologists, in areas of
eScience such as databases, workflow management, visualization, and cloudcomputing technologies.
This collection of essays expands on the vision of pioneering computer scientist Jim Gray for a
new, fourth paradigm of discovery based
on data-intensive science and offers insights into how it can be fully realized.